Lok Sabha polls: ‘Mamata shouldn’t be trusted,’ Congress’ Adhir Ranjan reacts to TMC going solo
West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
Following the Trinamool Congress' (TMC) announcement of its candidates for all 42 seats in West Bengal for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury took a dig at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stating that she was fearful of PM Modi.
"Mamata Banerjee is worried that if she joins the INDIA Alliance, she will have to face Modi. She is worried that if the ED and CBI start visiting TMC on Modi's orders, it could pose a risk to the TMC party. So, by distancing herself from the alliance, Mamata Banerjee is sending a message to Modi's office: Don't be upset with me; I'm not part of the alliance and I won't compete with the BJP," he said.
He further claimed that Banerjee's main aim was to defeat Chowdhury at any cost, even if that meant BJP's victory.
"Adhir Chowdhary must be defeated at any cost. Mamata Banerjee has no problem if the BJP wins instead, that's why Yusuf Pathan was nominated," he said.
Mamata's announcement included a surprise nomination for former cricketer Yousuf Pathan from the Berhampore Lok Sabha seat fromwhere Congress heavyweight, Adhir Chowdhury is a sitting MP.
Among noteworthy candidates, Mahua Moitra will fight from Krishnanagar, Saayoni Ghosh from Jadavpur, Gopal Lamba from Darjeeling, Abhishek Banerjee from Diamond Harbour, and actor Shatrughan Sinha from Asansol.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the TMC had secured 22 seats, a decrease from its previous count in 2014. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of the NDA alliance had made significant gains, capturing 18 seats. While the Congress at the time only managed to secure two seats.
As West Bengal gears up for the elections with 42 parliamentary constituencies in the state, TMC attempted a seat-sharing agreement with the Congress as part of the Opposition's INDIA bloc but failed.
As recently as Sunday (Mar 10), the West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee declared that there would be no seat adjustments with Congress in the state.
(With inputs from agencies)